Simone and Her Books

This was a fun and entertaining, low stakes romantic mystery that very much feels like you’re reading Knives Out.

Here’s more about The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

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My thoughts

The story features two main characters, Maggie and Ethan, two competing mystery authors who are invited to the most famous mystery author of all time: Eleanor Ashley. When Maggie and Ethan make it to the beautiful mansion in the middle of England, they’re greeted by Eleanor’s family and a huge mystery to solve: Eleanor’s disappeared and everyone is a suspect. It was such a fun whodunit with a bit of a Jennifer Lynn Barnes “Inheritance Games” vibe to it. I love puzzling books and mysteries!

I will admit that the mystery component of this story could have used a lot of work. I didn’t mind that it was very much the plot of Knives Out or that I’m not surprised by the ending. It felt secondary to the romantic components of this book, which Ally Carter excelled at throughout the book.

One of the more interesting parts is watching Maggie and Ethan’s relationship unfold. Being authors in the same genre, they found each other at the same events and knowing each other prior to getting to England. There was a palatable level of “enemies-to-lovers” that will definitely keep you intrigued, but what I adored the most was how Ally Carter shared their lives up to the point of being at the mansion. It’s obvious that Maggie and Ethan has had their fair share of downs before they finally got together and I loved how Ally Carter created a past, present, and future that feels real and built character for both of them.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining and fast-paced story that will definitely keep you reading through the holiday season. While I prefer my mystery to be a bit more hard-boiled and much more deeply ingrained into the story, I can’t doubt that this book has lots of appeal when you’re in the mood for something lighter.

Thanks to Avon Books for the gifted copy of this book.